MPAD Portfolio-Rana Mohammed

Reflect, Review and Improve

Mpad Rana Mohammed

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Who I am

I am Rana Mohammed a second year MPAD student at Carleton. My goal for studying visual communication is to develop the skills to create compelling, clear, and effective visual narratives across various media. This portfolio will demonstrate my creative process and skill development, showcase key principles and theories learned in class as well as a reflection.

Stop-Motion

Film

Image

Reflection

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What is Visual Communication

Visual Communication tells a story through visual content. The visuals speech louder than words, they have a beginning, middle and end.

80% of People Remember What They See and Do

Emotion 1 This image expresses the emotion of loneliness and isolation. the image depicts a person standing far from two other people and looking sad by their head facing the ground.

Wayfinding Wayfinding is defined by the ways people navigate from place to place. This image shows routes around the peopling to help people go to their desired destination and navigate around.

Juxtaposition, contrast, or comparison This image depicts a no food sign in front of an object resembling an apple. This expresses Juxtaposition because they're two items placed together with contrasting effects.

Positive persuasion I took this image of the recycling bin because it represent positive persuasion. It ,motivates people to recycle by giving a visual of what items go where, and pressures you to throw your trash in the right section.

Emotion 2 This image depicts a smiling woman reading a newspaper, expressing emotions of happiness and ease.

Warning or Cautionary tale This image expresses a warning to not smoke near a building because it has a warning sign and uses bold red letters. This is commonly associated with danger or caution.

Emotion 3 This image depicts the emotion of sadness and loneliness by emphasizing the dying leaf surrounded by the healthy ones.

User interface This image shows the vending machine interface. I would consider this bad interface since it's messy and hard to read, the design could be simpler.

Instructions and Informative This image shows the steps to washing your hands properly which is both an example of instructions but also informative because it educates you on the importance of washing hands to reduce bacteria.

History I captured this picture of the statue of Gandhi to depict history since he is a well known public figure in the history of civil rights.

Identity

Composition is the arrangement of elements in a frame to express creativity and engage audience. Explore the 11 key principles and techniques to composition.

Convey a Message

Rules of Composition

Reflection

01Rules of Thirds

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02Fill the Frame

03Leading Lines

07Triangles

11Centre-eye Dominant

10Symmetry

09Figure-Ground

06Diagonals

05Repetition/Pattern

08Framing

04Back-middle-foreground

I learned that you can make your photographs more visually appealing by incorporating the techniques of composition to captivate the audience and express a narrative to give meaning to your image.

Still Life Photography

Exploration and Expression

Still life captures objects that are carefully arranged and composed. Using key aspects such as objects, lighting, storytelling, texture, and colour to express your unique creativity.

Storytelling and Arrangement

Texture and colour

Lighting

Objects

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Composition

Composition is arranging elements to tell a story. You can create an narrative by combining different objects.First plan what it is you want to tell, then gather all the elements you will need. lastly, use layers and masks to perserve your original work and create non-destructive edits.

Create your own reality

Gradient tool to combine two different backgrounds.

Blurring effect to create glow

curve tool to add more shadow to base image

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StoryBoards & Sequencing

Sequential art tells a story in a series of connected events to create a sense of progression over time.

Add prompt

Description and Dialogue if necessary

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Sequenceing

Transitions

To elevate a storyboard, transitions are used to show the different ways that scenes can flow from one to the other.Explore the different types of transitions on the right ->

Moment-to-Moment

Action-to-Action

Subject-to-Subject

Scene-to-Scene

Aspect-to-Aspect

Non-Sequitur

Composition and Type of Shot

Storyboards combine transitions and types of shots to create visual layout. There are 5 different types of shots that each serve a perpouse.Explore the different shots here-->

Reflection

Long shot

Medium shot

Full shot

Close up

Extreme close-up

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Stop Motion

This is my first experiment with stop motion. I wanted to express a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. In this example, I used the robots to show an interaction gone bad.You can tell what the story is here but it could use a lot of improvement, here's what I would change -->

Stop Motion: Transformation

Progress

Sound

Reflection

StoryBoard

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Film:Development

Storyboards and first shot

We started planning our journey film by coming up with a list of ideas. Putting both our visions together, my partner and I decided to film the journey of going to a library then getting sucked in by a book to an alternate universe. We wanted to create an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere.

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Step 1. Storyboard

Step 2. First shoot

We started by sketching out a storyboard for the introduction, we didn't make one for the rest of the video because we wanted to go with the flow and see what works best through multiple trial and errors.

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Editing

Transitions and effects

We ended up with 2 versions of the journey video. One edited by me and the other by my partner to explore different techniques and transitions.This one which is edited by my partner has a more suspenseful atmosphere from the use of fast temp non-diegetic sound.

Click to view

Reflection

Film

Our Journey video shows a journey into another world. One second you're in the carleton library browsing a book and the next you're stuck into another dimension.

Journey Video

For sound we filmed most sound effects or used free effects from Pixabay and SampleFocus. We used Diegetic sound for notifications and background noise and non-Diegetic background music for suspense.

For video transitions I used the swirl effect to show a transition from the regular world to alternate dimension through the book. I also used dissolve transitions between scenes for a structured flow from scene to scene.

Close-up

Similar to extreme close-ups, close-ups are also used to focus on a certain detail, but with more background space to add context. In this example, close-up is used to zoom in on the door knob to show that it is turning. You can still see the rest of the door knob and some areas of the door

Framing is a border around your subject to make it your focal point and add depth.you can use natural framing such as trees, roads and door frames, or man made like architecture. In this example I used a bridge rails to frame the picture by capturing it in between the bars. This image could be improved by focusing on a singular subject rather than an entire landscape.

Framing

What I would change

Make storyboard: I didn't plan out this stop motion which is why it's very short and there is no proper sequencing.Fix Timing: everything is too fast paced and there is no pauses.Adjust position of shots: The camera is fixed so it does not explore different types of shots and composition.

The Rule of thirds is a composition guidline that draws viewers attention to focal point of an image. Dividing an image into 9 equal parts using 2 vertical line and 2 horizontal lines, you can then place your desired object along the lines or at the intersection.In this image the water hydrant is placed along the first vertical line to the left and starting at the top left intersection.

Rule of Thirds

Extreme close-ups zoom in on a certain detail you want to emphasize. In this example I zoomed in on the text so it can be the focal point. This storyboard panel can be improved by centering the text in the middle instead of at the bottom and zooming in even more.

Extreme Close-up

Reflection

I learned how each shot can change the narrative of your story and improve the understanding. In my storyboard I wasn't able to incorporate every type of shot but I learned how to improve my story, like using full shot to capture a subjects reaction instead of medium shot. For my next storyboards in the future, I will examine each type of shot to determine which one conveys my narrative better.

This technique is the relationship between the subject (figure) and back(ground). It helps audience understand what is the figure and what is the background. Using contrast such as colour and brightness as well as focus to slightly blur the background helps create a good figure-ground relationship.In this example, my friend is the subject while the flowers are the background. This could be improved if I used a simpler background to bring more attention to my friend.

Figure-Ground

Colour contrast

Natural lighting directed on subject.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit

Shadows to add depth

prompt: Time travel

attention to detail, clock shows current time period

Train and people are purposely filtered to be black and white, this makes it known they come from the past.

Scene-to-Scene

This transition shifts the narrative from one location, time, or event to another. It involves a change in setting and can represent a jump in the storyline. I don't have an example of scene-to-scene in my storyboard, however, placing the first shot and 6th shot together shows a change in location by starting at a desk then transitioning to an empty hallway.

Reflection

During this project I learned more about the importance of composition and types of shots to make my film more cinematic and tell a story. I also learned how to apply DIegetic and Non-diegetic sound to build atmosphere. Lastly, I learned how to incorporate video and audio transitions and effects to make the narrative more enhancing and fit my vision.

Moment-to-Moment

The story moves from one moment to the next with minimal change in time to show subtle changes while focusing on the details.

In this example, both scenes are very similar except in the first scene the phone is turned off and in the second it lights up. I used this to focus on the detail of getting a notification and build suspense for what it says.

Repetition and pattern in photography is the use of recurring elements to create rhythm. Repetition is using the same visual elements multiple times throughout an image. Pattern is the structure of these visual elements to form a recognizable design. This close-up image of a leaf highlights the repeting diagonal lines and ridges that make up the design.

Repetiton/Pattern

I first came up with the story, then went out to take my background photo. Then I drew where I wanted my elements to be before I went into photoshop.

Planning

You can focus on a singular object to divert any distraction or use multiple objects to emphasis somethingimage on the top is of a singular object, it focuses strictly on the pumpkin. The bottom two images use more than one object. The image on the right adds more texture and depth by included a multitude of rocks. The image on the left is more simple but still incorporates more than one object.

Objects

Long Shot

This type of shot shows the subject from a distance capturing a large portion of the environment to provide context for the scene. Use this shot when you want to set the stage and give the audience a sense of where the action is taking place.

For my storyboard I made sure to include the description and estimated time of scenes as well as sounds and effects to use.- The transitions aren't clear so next time I would make sure to add them and incorporate types of shots to elevate the visual experience

StoryBoard

Full shot

Full shot includes the subject from head to toe while still including the background scenery to capture the subjects emotions and actions in connection to what is happeing in the background. In this example it shows a medium shot but it would be more useful to use a full shot to show the subjects reaction to the door knob wobbling.

Texture adds depth to an image, by zooming in on your subject, you can pick up the details such as the smoothness or roughness of the material. Colour can draw attention to specific detail or create a mood.In this example the texture of the bottoms smooth and the colour represent the aesthetic of the movie Coraline.

Texture and Colour

fabric texture

bright yellow and blue colours are meant to represent themes from the halloween movie Coraline

In photography triangles create structure and depth, guide the eyes and emphasize the main subject. In this example Triangles are formed from the bicycle frames.

Triangles

Triangle

Leading lines is an element in photography that guides the viewers eyes to a focal point. whether diagonal, straight or curved these lines can be roads, rivers, fences, etc. In this image, I captured a curved road to lead the eyes upwards. This image can be improved my adding a subject at the end of the road like a person or building so there is a focal point.

Leading Lines

The medium shot shows the subject from the waist or hips up. It allows the audience to see both the subject in detail and keeping a portion of the background visible.Versatile and commonly used.In this example you can see the subject up close and some of the background

Medium Shot

Diagonals in photography are lines that are slanted and run from one corner to another. They are used to frame, emphasize and create depth. in this example you can see the railing lines slant at the end to create depth and show that the railing is going down. This image could be improved if there was something to emphasize.

Diagonals

Aspect-to-Aspect

Aspect to aspect is a type of transition where the focus shifts between different aspects, details, or perspectives in the same scene to emphasize important details. It offers multiple viewpoints or sensory experiences.I could use this transition by focusing on the different details on the desk from shot one and include different POVs of the character sitting on the desk.

What I Learned

Visual Communication is being able to express something viusally. I learned to identify what objects around my atmoshphere represent and how I can point out thing to express something specific. Visual communication can be a map of a building, infographic on washing hand, or a composition.

Lighting creates a mood and highlights detail. You can use natural or studio lighting but where you place it matters the most. soft lighting creates subtle shadows and hard lighting minimizes shadows and enhances texture.

Lighting

Lighting is placed at the front to bring more attention to the ball and creates shadows in the back.

Soft lighting is used to cast a shadow to the back drop.

Hard lighting is used to bring attention to the arrangement of items, enhance texture, minimize shadows, and highlight detail.

This technique is when the subject is placed in the centre of the frame and the dominate eye is the centre of the photograph. Find a good balance between foreground and background so they don't compete with each other.The image to the left is a zoomed in picture of a campus board poster. The person's dominant eye is centred as if they're following the viewer's gaze.

Center-Eye Dominant

dominant eye facing viewer.

This technique brings attention to your subject by reducing amount of background and negative space shown. Simply zoom in on your subject to fill your photos frame.In this image, I zoomed in on the coffee cup to fill the frame. By doing so, I was able to capture details such as the texture of the black sesame cream

Fill the Frames

Subject-to-Subjct

Subject to Subject is a transition where the focus moves from one subject to another, but within the same scene or story context. This allows the narrative to flow smoothly between different focal points, showing changes in action or perspective.In this example, the panel transitions from medium shot to close-up, changing the focal point to the door knob. This could be improved by focusing on the girl then transitioning to the door knob.

Citations

Sky image:unsplash.com/photos/two-stars-in-the-middle-of-a-black-sky-fsH1KjbdjE8?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash. UFO: unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-standing-in-front-of-a-lighted-archway-OF2Jr51vxiI?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash. *pigeon and backgroung image are my own.

Non-Sequitur

non-sequitur refers to a type of transition where the panels or scenes do not logically follow from one another. It create unexpected and disorienting breaks in the story's flow, allowing for creativity, surprise, or thematic exploration.

This composition is made up of 3 main layers.Background: furthest layerMiddle: between background and foregroundForeground: area closest to the viewer.In this example the background is the sky and trees, the middle is the river, and the foreground is the rocks at the front. To improve this image, I would include more rocks so it is more obvious to be part of the closest area.

Back-middle-foreground

Reflection

Overall, I am content with my outcome but there are a few things I would like to work on more.-Improving pace and pauses- Using better lighting and avoiding shadows- using different types of shots, I didn't focus on it and ended up filming everything using one type of shot.- Improve transitions for better flow- Adding credits at the end to show that the story is complete

symmetry is elements that mirror each other along a centred axis. It creates harmony and aesthetic appeal, symmetry creates a sense of calmness due to it's simplicity.It also allows for focus and emphasis on a central element.In this Image, both sides of the bridge mirror each other, including the poles on each side. This could be improved if there was no shadows and had a central subject.

Symmetry

Shadows are not symmetrical.

Action-to-Action

This transition is used to show one action to the next to depict more significant changes in activity or movement. I don't use this transition in my storyboard but I would make a scene where my character walks closer towards the door to show action-to-action.

I started out by jotting down my idea into 6 parts before I made the storyboard. I drew out what I wanted to show and then transferred it into my storyboard for a cleaner look.I included how long each scene would take and the rhythm i'm aiming for.

Planning

Sound

I had a hard time deciding what sounds to use, so I kept it simple. I added background music to make it entertaining and sound effects to distinguish actions. For example, when the egg jumped I added cartoon jump sound effects to reflect that.

Arrangements create visually appealing compositions and also give images a story. The way the objects are placed and create a certain narrative.In this example the image is arranged to show a concert. The fox toy is staged in the middle on top of a make-shift stage, surrounded by halloween decor to show that it is for a holiday. There is also a broom placed infront to represent the microphone.

Storytelling and Arrangements